Show The National Whirligig By Ray Tucker Telegram Washington Columnist WASHINGTON William WASHINGTON William S S. S Knudsen was laughed at when he told a congressional committee commit commit- tee several weeks ago that t the h e United States would devote at least 65 per cent of her productive productive productive tive capacity to war making war making purposes in 1942 Actually Knudsen who submitted submitted submitted sub sub- an entirely new defense program to the president a few days ago was pulling his punches when he testified before before before be be- fore the house appropriations committee Under the schedule which he presented we would spend only about for war purposes next year That was the figure which stunned congress But the estimate which the White house and 0 O P M have now agreed upon as the 1942 war expenditure is about 60 We will build planes tanks ships and ammunition at atthe atthe atthe the rate of five billion dollars a month That is the program of spending spending- that will soon be given out at the White House Such an outpouring of money for weapons will obviously re reshape reshape reshape re- re shape our style and standard of living Government economists are withholding the bad news lest it have an unfavorable re reaction reaction reaction re- re action but here are the rough facts We are now spending about a month on national national national na na- na- na defense Those are the latest latest latest lat lat- est available figures That expenditure expenditure expenditure ex ex- ex- ex has imposed a tremendous tremendous tremendous dous burden on the country's economic structure We Ve have had to reduce the production of automobiles automobiles auto auto- mobiles by bV 44 per cent for 1942 and we have virtually banned the manufacture of refrigerators era era- tors furniture and other household household household house house- hold appliances Now if we had to curtail production production pro pro- so drastically when we were turning out only 1600 worth of war materials per month it requires no stretch of the imagination to picture the sacrifices which a monthly outlay of will en en- tail tall Washington is keeping it quiet but within six months there will be a ban on the production production production pro pro- of many things which we have hitherto regarded as necessities ties American Airways has an application application application ap- ap before the civilian aeronautics board for a certificate certificate certificate cate entitling it to operate an airline from Fort Worth to Mexico City The request may maybe maybe maybe be denied because it is opposed by Pan-American Pan a air airways i r w way a y s which seems to have powerful friends on Capitol hill But America has turned over overto overto overto to Washington and to Mexico City evidence that the nazis have obtained landing fields below the border for a possible attack on this country A few months ago American engineers surveyed Mexican terrain in the hunt for airports between the Texas line and Mexico City They discovered discovered discovered ered that the best sites were owned and controlled by Ger Ger- mans American Airways tipped off the Mexican government which is taking action against the Ger Ger- mans Our army intelligence system system system tem was also notified and we weare weare weare are taking steps to drive nazi air interests off the western continent Two controversial pieces of legislation recently passed by bythe bythe bythe the house the price-fixing price and bills probably will be shelved or sidetracked in the senate Labor has indicated that it will waive its right to strike for forthe forthe forthe the duration of the war Therefore Therefore Therefore There There- fore it becomes unnecessary to toe toen enact e en n a act c t antistrike legislation which would antagonize a large portion of the voting population Prices can be controlled under the authority which the president president dent assumed when he announced announced an an- an 9 the existence of a national national national na na- na- na emergency With the country engaged in actual war congress will be in no mood to legislate on issues which might boomerang politically They will gladly pass the buck to the pres pres- ident F D R has discussed these problems with his congressional leaders within the past few days They have begged him to use his emergency powers instead of calling upon congress to give him statutory authority for curbing labor and prices Washington's most serious bottleneck these days is tele tele- phonic So many new people have come to the capital and so many new offices have b bee been e e n opened that the line busy signal signal signal sig sig- nal is overworked It is estimated estimated estimated esti esti- mated that within the past six months at least n new e w phones have been installed in inthe inthe inthe the capital area the District of Columbia Maryland and nearby nearby nearby near near- by Virginia But a minor 0 P M official found a way to break the bottleneck bottleneck bottleneck bot bot- the day after Japan attacked attacked attacked at at- tacked Hawaii He phoned the New York operator and demanded demand demand- ed priority status on the ground that he was putting through an important message hav having ng to todo todo todo do with the safety and w Welfare of the government t l tActually Actually he was callin calling his wife and here was his nat national defense message Darling I. I the Japanese air force is ng America so I suggest that j m J.-m u su ask the hotel to give us an apartment apartment apart apart- ment on the third floor i 1 of the eleventh l |